For the past four years, we have been bringing to you photo news about chess events in Nigeria and it has been fun. The feedback we have gotten from you is that you appreciate the copious use of pictures in our reports. However, in many reports we do not use the full collections of pictures as we often select the most appropriate ones of good quality. Therefore, we have left some side stories untold. In this report we will be reminiscing on some of these stories. Enjoy!

Chess playing ladies of a secondary school surround their coach, Paul Boyo.

Paul Boyo is one of the most passionate chess lovers in Nigeria. He became active as a chess player while in University but his nature is more of a constructive creator than a sharp tooth competitor so he neglected the development of his competitive skills for the coaching and management part of the game. Boyo has a highly successful organization that coaches several school chess though he spends much of his time now with business activities in the upstream sector of the oil industry. With people like him in chess, chess will prosper.

Leonard Etuk-Akpan: hard at work in a Friends of Chess tournament.

Leonard Etuk-Akpan is a chess player of note in this country. He started playing way back in the nineties as a very young boy triumphing against the likes of Iyi Togun, Bomo and Inimo Kigigha. He reached his highest point in 2002 when he won the Olympiad trial stage two and coming 2^nd in the National Championship after defeating Chikwere Onyekwere and Bayo Adegboyega.

Charles Campbell vs Bunmi Olape in the background and Emmanuel Madunagwu vs Femi Olape in the foreground. The two Olapes are enjoying Guiness beer

Edwin Madunagwu is a passionate chess player who has developed his skill. If he continues to work on his game he will achieve greatness in the game but it seems that he is facing some discouragement presently.

Demola Sorungbe and Yemi Fawole just devoured a huge meal during break time of a Chess Heights tournament.

Ajibola Olanrewaju, Bayo Adegboyega and Femi Olape are sharing a joke after sumptuous feeding during the break of a Chess Heights event.

A scene from a session of the International Secondary Schools Chess League.

Young talents at the International Secondary Schools Chess League.

Veteran chess player Rahman Agusto who prefers to be called GM.

Nathan Flow is a one time winner of Friends of Chess. He now works for Total/Elf Oil Company.

National Master/Medical Doctor Olusegun Olomola has a highly successful history in chess.

Alexis Dikeocha and Doris Adebayo look on as Dupe Adesanya battles Isang.

A scene from a session of ‘Friends of Chess’.

‘Friends of Chess’ is a tournament founded and organized by Dasaolu Rotimi. It has been in existence for about 10 years now and it is a pillar of Nigerian chess. It is funded by chess players of moderate and much means and it has been the cornerstone of chess in Nigeria where the local chess federation has been insipid and useless.

Secondary school chess is benefiting these passionate youngsters.

The future of Nigerian chess.

Charles Udor of Ultimate Chess watches on as his boys from Bell College (wearing yellow) tackle Vivian Fowler Secondary School.

Tolulope Ogunwobi, the publisher of Chess Heights is struggling at one of the edition of Friends of Chess.

Toyin Jegede and Emeka Nwosu are regular participants at Friends of Chess.

Chike Aniunoh is the immediate past president of University of Lagos chess club and a regular participant of Friends of Chess.

Charles Campbell defeated Ajibola Olanrewaju at a Chess Heights tournament.

IM Odion Aikhoje is the greatest ever Nigerian player.

To all followers of the ancient game in Nigeria, Odion Aikhoje popularly called Odirov needs no introduction. He has achieved everything possible in the game in Nigeria and also pace setting achievements internationally.

As an Undergraduate at University of Ibadan, he won the National Championship in 1996. At different NUGA events he has won several gold and silver medals. In 1998 at Unilag, he won silver in three different categories. He was the highest rated Nigerian for a very long time and internationally, he has defeated several grandmasters including John Nunn and Joe Gallagher. He is the only Nigerian to have won a gold medal at the Olympiad.

He currently runs a site www.odirovchess.com and we have an excerpt of his writing

My life in Chess.

This is such a vast topic, I sincerely wonder where it begins. Thinking back, maybe there is a way to link up memorable points in time with locations. Hmm…, lets see; Introduction to the Chess clock and Blitz in the University of Ibadan. My first NUGA games at Calabar, meeting the greats of the game in the flesh. First tournament win in Lagos (a 9 player tie for first position, never been replicated). All night Blitz sessions in Lagos and Ibadan. The Abuja International Chess Tournament: My game with GM Robert Byrne. (my first ever game against a Grand Master of Chess, and one who’d played against Robert Fischer!!)

Winning the Nigerian National Chess Championships back to back in Lagos. Getting my FIDE Master of Chess title in Lagos. Winning my first international medal (bronze) in Cairo, Egypt. Up close and personal with the Sphinx and a journey through the interior of one of the fabled Pyramids of Giza, Cairo.

The impact of the chill in Moscow, stepping out of the airport in Russia for the first time. Learning the in’s and out’s of methods of consuming Vodka in Elista! Winning a Chess Olympic Gold Medal in Russia. Practicing my terrible French in Brussels and ending up ordering a very strange meal! Eating ‘full and felafel’ (bean burgers?) and playing soccer in Mahala and Tanta, Egypt.

Defeating the Swiss No. 1 Grand Master of Chess in the British Chess Championships in England! Trying to divide myself into two by attempting to play in two different Chess events at the Kensington Olympia at the same time (with obvious disastrous results!) Practicing my ‘immunity’ to a variety of alcoholic drinks at a bar in Slovenia during the Ljubjana Olympiad! (the barman was not amused, he couldn’t find a drink in his array that could faze me that night)

Attempting to get a group of friends lost in Switzerland by trying to read signs in German (hey, I tell myself I can speak/read a gazillion languages – when I dream actually…) Trying to learn German so I could chat up a pretty girl in Stuttgart, Germany. Hmm…, I practiced: “ich kenne nichts das so schon ist wie du”, please pardon my colloquial grammar. Come to think of it, I also practiced chat-up lines in Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Italian etc etc. I dont think any of them ever worked. Ah well...

Winning a Gold Medal at the All Africa Games in Abuja (and probably playing a decisive role in the overall National victory at the games!). Finding out there’s no escape from ‘Cheese’ and ‘Pasta’ in Italy. Breakfast, Lunch and dinner; if you duck out and wait for the next day, they freeze it and give it to you as dessert! Inescapable. I’m sure I could go on forever, so for now I’ll invoke the ‘infinity’ rule.

On May 27 of 2008, Children’s day, I locked wits with 13 students of St. Finbarrs College under a 45 minutes to 5 minutes time control. It was very challenging but I finally won with a score of 9½ to 3½. The students played very well and did not any elementary blunder. It was my superior opening knowledge; positional grasp and determination that made me win. I have always meant to publish the story, I am glad that I have this opportunity.

The beginning of the epic battle, all tables have clocks set to 5 and 45 minutes.

A clearer view of the start.

The heat is on…   Are you ready to run…

One against many… One of these my opponents is now in University of Lagos and a strong candidate for the school team.

This event took place on May 27^th 2008. Stay tuned for May 27^th 2010.